1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to an apparatus for helping to hold a device such as a gun, telescope, camera, etc., steady as the device is pointed at a target or aimed.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
It is often desirable to use auxiliary means such as tripods or the like to hold devices such as guns, telescopes, binoculars, cameras, etc., steady as such devices are pointed at targets or aimed. It is common for hunters and the like to hold such devices against any available support such as tree trunks, fence posts, etc., when aiming such devices.
A preliminary patentability search conducted in class 42, subclass 94, produced the following patents which appear to be relevant to the present invention:
Burnaugh, U.S. Pat. No. 889,658, issued Jun. 2, 1908, discloses a folding gun rest for being attached to a user's body and for supporting a firearm when taking aim.
Dumas, U.S. Pat. No. 1,406,827, issued Feb. 14, 1922, discloses a gun rest including a base member for engaging the user's belt, a spacing rod hingedly connected to the base member, a rest bar attached to the spacing rod, and a flexible gun rest connected to the spacing rod and bendable on the rest bar.
Christensen, U.S. Pat. No. 3,200,528, issued Aug. 17, 1965, discloses a device for supporting a pistol on a belt.
Galbraith, U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,477, issued Jul. 2, 1968, discloses a supporting device for sighting firearms.
Duke, U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,390, issued Jul. 4, 1989, discloses an arm rest for supporting an extended upper arm. The arm rest attaches to the belt of a hunter and extends upward to an arm pad upon which a hunter rests his upper arm while aiming at a target.
Caustic, U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,771, issued Sep. 7, 1993, discloses a steady-hold shooters rest including an elliptical armrest bar and top deck molded to a solid body support bracket which is in turn fastened around the waist of a shooter and positioned directly in front of the shooter so that the armrest bar extends to the shooter's sides at close proximity while extending at greater distance from the shooter's body as it approaches the center point of the rest. To use the rest, the shooter's arm supporting the weapon is placed in contact with the armrest bar or the solid top deck of the rest.
Nothing in the known prior art discloses or suggests the present invention. More specifically, nothing in the known prior art discloses or suggests an apparatus including a base, attachment means for attaching the base firmly against a portion of the user's body, and an elongated rod attached to the base for being held by the user against or relative to a device being aimed to help hold the device steady as the device is pointed at a target.